RENNThai Review: Thai cuisine by the Singapore River

Update in 2022: RENNThai has exited the American Express Love Dining programme and will no longer offer its benefits.

This is my RENNThai Review. The whole family was out for this – so the husband, two kids, and myself all made our way to Clarke Quay to try out this place.

Note: From 1 January 2021 onwards, RENNThai has joined the Love Dining programme by American Express.

Rennthai review: Clarke Quay

I’m always excited when new partners join the Love Dining programme. Early in 2021, American Express announced that a bunch of new dining establishments would be joining the Love Dining programme, and a bunch of new restaurants joined in, including Indocafe (Pernakan), and a bunch of places in the Clarke Quay area – Fremantle Seafood Market, Hot Stones Steak and Seafood Restaurant, Hutong, and of course, RennThai.

Block D at River Valley Road, Clark Quay – Hutong, Hot Stones Steak and Seafood Restaurant, and Rennthai (signboard on far left if you care to squint… are all literally on the same street).

RENNThai signboard

Were there dining discounts this round? Of course – what else but the usual – American Express Love Dining benefits. With my American Express Platinum Charge card, the husband and myself (and our two kids tagged along) dined at 50% off.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Ambience: Singapore River

The restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating. Outdoors, the seats overlook the Singapore river itself.

RENNThai – outdoor seating

Though, given Singapore’s unbearably hot and humid weather, the outdoor seats tend to be pretty much deserted during the day itself. The server did mention that in the evenings, when it’s much cooler, the outdoor can get pretty crowded especially during the weekends.

RENNThai – indoor seating

Indoors, slight hints of Thai / South East Asian decor was there (e.g. pictures on the walls, statues as decoration) but it looked mostly like a modern restaurant otherwise.

Thai Cuisine

A Thai meal ain’t complete without Tom Yum Soup, so we ordered one portion and this arrived.

Tom Yum Beef Soup

Here, the Tom Yum Soup tends to be the spicier variety. Hot and sour, the broth – a clear type – it went well with chewy and slightly tender pieces of beef. 

Up next was the Massaman curry – where tender beef pieces and potatoes are simmered in a curry that’s a combo of spicy, sweet, savory and mildly tangy. There was also a slight hint of peanuts to the dish.

Massaman Beef

The richness in the flavour meant that it went well with plain rice. The winner was in the beef – so tender, so flavourful – a true testament to the skills of the chef.

Love the symmetrical arrangement of the long beans, tomato and pineapple. My three-year old claims it looks like a peacock

My favourite Thai food item is Pad Thai – there’s something about fried rice noodles that I can’t say no to. 

Pad Thai

Served with peanuts, chilli flakes, lime, and raw bean sprouts, the hot wok-fried dish hit all the right notes: chewy, spicy, slightly sweet with overtones of fish sauce, it’s hard to go wrong with this dish. 

The huge battered king prawn just gave it an extra wow factor.

King Prawn that’s literally half the size of the plate

Child Menu

RENNThai does have a child menu, with more kid-friendly (read: less spicy options). This is awesome – I know many adults who do love Thai food but may avoid Thai restaurants if a kid can’t eat anything on the menu. 

Here, we opted for a pineapple rice set for our three-year old daughter.

Pineapple Rice with Battered Fried Fish

The kid’s pineapple rice was sweet but not overlly fruity – the taste was balanced by bits of cashew nuts and raisins in the rice, and additionally topped with a pork floss. Honestly, even the adults loved this better than the jasmine rice – it was really good!

Fried fish was ordinary – but kid loved it, so we aren’t complaining

Dessert: Mango pudding and Lychee

To end things on a sweet note, we ordered RennThai’s home-made mango pudding, topped with fresh mangoes and canned lychee.

Burbur Chacha

It was good, above average as far as mango pudding goes, and the fresh mangoes were certainly a plus point… but nothing really in particular to shout about. Nevertheless a pleasant treat given our hot climite (i tend to sweat endlessly, so i welcome anything cold).

Large juicy lychee. So very sweet. 

Overall RennThai Review

The location is definitely something enticing here – in the evenings, the Singapore River is a great place for both dates and small gatherings alike. The restaurant also occasionally does food and drinks promotions, so it is worth checking out what’s on before heading down.

Service wise, the staff were good. Professional and patient, they were willing to answer your questions about Thai food and for the spice-averse person, some dishes can be prepared in a less spicy fashion – just TRY and ask, the place is more than willing to accomodate if the dish’s taste isn’t compromised.

The child-menu is also an attractive option, where the items feel like they have been considered, and not just thrown in as an afterthought.  For that, the family-friendly factor makes this place nice for families with small kids.

Above average and positive Rennthai review overall.

American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)

Want some Love Dining?

Apply for an American Express credit card and get bonus points!

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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